Dangerous Games
by entity9silvergen
Summary: It's October and things definitely don't seem right. Ben, Rook, Kevin, and Zed are swept off into what they believe is a Halloween prank but Gwen takes Hex's warning seriously. There is danger looming over them and... Is this Anur Transyl?(Spooktober 2019 Writing Challenge) [Off Hiatus] [Writing Challenge][Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10]
1. Trick

**Author's Note:** Hey there. I decided to do a Spooktober writing challenge. 31 days, 31 prompts. I just googled Spooktober prompts and got the ones I'm using. Hopefully one will be written everyday but you never know. I think I'll try to update every few days so it'll probably stretch into November.

This is my first Ben 10 fic. I've been having some writer's block so I wanted to write a new idea and I realized I've never written one so I felt like it was time to write a Ben 10 story after being a fan since I was ten.

Note: I intended for this to take place after Omniverse but the timeline isn't really important. Could be any time.

* * *

**Prompt 1:** Trick

"Ben?"

"Yes?"

"What is this?"

Far beneath the streets of Bellwood, two figures walked the streets. One was distinctly human and the other… wasn't. If they were on the surface, any human would have fled at the alien's tall, lanky build and orange eyes as sharp as his teeth. Down there, the only odd looks Rook received were due to his partner's fame.

The pair had tagged along to one of Grandpa Max's numerous trips to Undertown to find whatever alien food he wanted to toss into the kitchen tonight. Max had disappeared maybe an hour ago, leaving Rook and Ben to their own devices. Predictably, Ben wanted to wander. Rook normally would've been annoyed but if not for Ben's aimlessness, he never would've found this… orange thing.

"That's a Jack O' Lantern," Ben told him, coming to a stop in front of the house Rook had found the Jack O' Lantern. "People carve out pumpkins and put faces on them and put little candles in them to light them up."

Rook lifted the gourd up and peered into one of the holes in it. They vaguely resembled a face but Rook wouldn't have noticed if Ben hadn't mentioned it. He had never met a creature with triangular eyes or a mouth like this one. "Why? Is it some kind of dwelling for smaller alien species?"

"What? No," Ben said. He took it from Rook's hands and put it back down on the bricks that made up the steps leading to the house. "It's an Earth thing thing. I think they're for scaring away spirits or something like that."

"Really? If they were for scaring spirits, I would imagine that I would have seen one already. Are they common relics?"

"You usually only see them around…" Ben trailed off and stiffened.

Rook frowned, picking up on Ben's reaction and tensing. "Around what? Is it dangerous?"

"Only to us," Ben said. Nervously, he glanced around and further alarmed his Plumber partner. "Grandpa goes all out on Halloween."

"Halloween?" Rook repeated. His face suddenly melted into a grin. "Oh! I read about that in my Earth studies. It is an Earth holiday on the 31st of October, is it not? Today is only the first of the month. You have nothing to worry about. I'm sure Magister Tennyson-"

"Dude, you haven't been on Earth long enough to know how humans get about holidays," Ben said. He glanced around the street. They had wandered into a residential area, something they rarely did. The two usually just stuck to the shops on the main strip. Unless they were chasing someone, of course. Rook worried that they were lost for a split second but Ben took off running before he could think about it much.

Ben, being human, was much slower than the Revonnahgander so Rook barely had to jog to catch up with him. Ben barely spared him a glance and just kept running.

When they returned to the main strip, Ben skidded to a halt and began looking around frantically. Not understanding his actions but taking pity on his partner, Rook grabbed him by the back of the hoodie and pulled him behind the sock store.

The alien shopkeeper didn't seem to care but Rook made sure not to touch anything as the two hit the floor. He pulled himself together quickly and frantically gripped Ben's arm. "Why are we running? Did you see something?"

"Dude," Ben said, sitting up to put his hands on either of his partner's shoulders. "Halloween."

"Yes," Rook repeated, slowing his voice as if humoring a child. "Halloween."

"Halloween is like the worst holiday!" Ben said, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically.

"Why?" Rook asked, tilting his head curiously. "I was under the impression that human adolescents enjoy the holiday."

"Well most human adolescents don't have a grandpa like Grandpa Max."

"I do not follow," Rook said. From his experience with the magister, Max seemed like a fantastic grandfather.

"You ever see those old horror movies?" Ben asked. Rook shook his head. Ben facepalmed. "Duh. Of course you haven't. Well, they're terrifying. The stuff Grandpa does is straight out of one of those. Plus crime rates go up."

"You usually enjoy high crime rates," Rook pointed out, "even though you really should not."

"Beating up bad guys is not fun when they have blood painted dripping from their mouths and weird bruises drawn on them! Especially if everyone who is not committing a crime is dressed the same way. It gets real confusing."

"There you boys are," a voice suddenly said. Rook looked up to see Max leaning over the counter of the sock shop. The shopkeeper was waving a sock in his face but Max didn't care. "Sorry it took me so long to find where they sell ewekansige vreemde woord eel eyes. Now I just need to find something I can serve them on."

The heavy set man gave a wide smile as he held out a hand. In it was a bag of green eyes with purple veins trailing out from them. They wrapped around the edges of the bag like they were trying to crawl out. Some of them still had parts of the eye socket attached.

Ben's face looked less than enthusiastic. Even Rook's stomach dropped and he usually liked the kind of stuff Max cooked. Ben and Rook peeled themselves off the floor of the sock stand and followed Max back onto the streets.

"See?" Ben whispered quietly, leaning into the taller boy. "Ewe-za-whatchamahoozit eel eyes!"

"You are speaking like you are trying to make a point but I do not see what the point is," Rook told him. He doubted he would ever learn to understand humans. Especially if that human was Ben.

"Eyes! Halloween stuff! He's so about to do something."

"Ben. You are being paranoid," Rook told him. "It is only the first of the month. If he's going to do anything-"

"He's going to start now," Ben interrupted. "We have to hide."

"Ben-"

"Do you _want _to eat eyes?"

Rook paused. "Good point."

"Hey, you two, let me know if you see any Methanosian skulls," Max said, turning around. Ben and Rook's eyes widened but Max wasn't alarmed in the slightest. "I think the fumes that get trapped inside will go well with the ewekansige vreemde woord eel eyes. I hear the gas seeps into the flesh of the fruit and tastes fantastic. I think it will compliment the juices in the eel eyes pretty nicely."

"Methanosian?" Rook repeated. He wanted to gag. That sounded disgusting. Few had much experience with them but whenever Ben transformed into one, the smell clung to his fur for days and lingered even after he bathed. In fact, water seemed to make it worse.

"Like Swampfire?" Ben questioned. He looked horrified. Any talk of eating one of his aliens usually triggered some kind of reaction and never a good one. He clutched his stomach and looked like he was going to vomit.

"Oh, don't worry. They grow back, no harm to the Methanosians."

Rook and Ben stared at each other. Green eyes met orange, neither wavering as they silently exchanged words that couldn't be conveyed clearer if they were speaking. Then, without even a glance at Max, they bolted down the long concrete path and made a beeline for the exit. After the Proto-Truk and the Tenn Speed were destroyed followed by the Time Cycles, they relied on others for transportation and neither was about to run back to the Plumber truck Max had taken to drive them here. They would take the surface streets and get lost trying to escape if they had to.

"Run. Run. Run. Run," Ben chanted as the two sprinted through the streets. He nearly crashed into the rabbit-like alien selling tentacles on a stick, making the alien stumble to the ground. The alien began shouting at him but Ben and Rook were long gone by the time he was back on his feet. "Sorry!"

Ben pumped more energy into his legs, getting in front of Rook for a few seconds. He had to swerve to avoid tripping over a small Atrocian child who was crossing the road with his mother. Ben ended up stumbling.

Rook caught him before he hit concrete and began running with the human under his armored arm, much to Ben's annoyance. "Hey!"

"This is faster," Rook told him. It was true, Ben couldn't deny it. Rook was tall even for a Revonnahgander so his strides were longer and his training kept him in better shape. Ben looked like a twig beside a powerful oak trunk when he stood next to his partner.

Of course, Ben's personality more than made up for it. What he lacked, he made up in volume, rashness, unpredictability, and poor decisions in general.

Case in point, now.

"I'll show you faster," Ben said, slamming the Omnitrix.

Rook felt the weight in his arm increase and the shape meld into another. XLR8 dropped from his grip, wheeled feet hitting the ground, and tossed him over his shoulder before zipping away.

"This is most unflattering," Rook said as he tried to get into a better position. XLR8's shoulder bone was digging into his stomach. He could feel it even through his proto armor. That combined with moving backwards made Rook feel a bit more sick than he had a moment ago.

"Dude, being carried like a sack of flour is better than being carried like a football," XLR8 said, voice somewhat obstructed by his mask.

"I can't see like this. What if there is danger?" Rook asked as he twisted his torso around so he was more upright.

"There won't be any-"

"Look out!"

At the warning, XLR8 slammed on the breaks but it wasn't enough to keep the two from skidding into the energy net laid out on the concrete. The second his foot hit the edge, it flew into the air and enveloped them. XLR8 hissed as the energy hit his arm and curled himself around his partner to shield him slightly even though Rook didn't need the protection. His armor was more than enough to save his fur from being singed. Having Ben on top of him on the other hand...

Rook hated nets. Being suddenly thrown from a standing position to an awkwardly suspended one was very uncomfortable. Especially if there was another person in the net with him. There was far too much contract and armor against… whatever XLR8's body was made of was far from a good feeling, not to mention their different biologies. "Ben. Remove you tail from my-"

The Omnitrix beeped and XLR8 timed out, leaving Ben in his place. Rook shifted so he didn't crush him now that their roles were reversed.

"Thank you."

Ben rubbed his tail bone, shaking the net slightly. Rook felt human skin rub against his fur. It was a strange feeling, one he doubted he could get used to. "Remind me to turn into Fasttrack more often. He doesn't have a tail."

"He has a harder time stopping. At least with XLR8, we had some hope of avoiding this trap."

"Dude," Ben said. "Have you met my grandpa? There's no escaping his traps. He's magic or something."

"You think this was Magister Tennyson?" Rook questioned, surprised.

"Who else could it be?"

"Zombozo, Fistrik, Eighteight, Sevenseven, Inspector 13, Vulkanus, Liam, Corvo, Psyphon… Anyone really. Undertown has a very active criminal population."

"But in October?" Ben argued.

Rook shifted so his spine was curved against the natural bend of the net's mesh nicely. "I don't think they care what month it is."

"But Grandpa Max does!"

"Ben…"

"I can't take my eyes off you two for one minute," a familiar voice said.

"Magister Tennyson!" Rook craned his neck to look over his shoulder to look at the older man. He couldn't quite turn around enough but the brightness of Max's Hawaiian shirt stood out even in his peripheral vision. "Ben thinks that you are trying to… Actually, I do not know what he is accusing you of but please prove him wrong and cut us free."

"Oh, I can't do that," Max said.

Rook blinked. Max's tone was even, confidant. Just from his voice, it was clear that he could in fact do what Rook was asking him to do but was choosing not to. That Rook could not understand. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ben groaned, burying his face in his hands. "We passed up on the 'treat' so we're getting the trick."

"What?"

"That's right," Max said, walking forward. He reached into the bag of eyes and pulled out a fistful. He held it up to Rook's face like an offering and raised his eyebrows. The veins reached out and wriggled in the air. A putrid smell hit Rook's nose. His nose wrinkled in distaste. Rook grimaced and pulled his face back. Max smiled. "Last chance."

"Pass," Ben and Rook said in unison.

"Then I hope you'll love what I have in store for you boys this year," Max said. He drew his stun gun and suddenly the world went dark.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Good start? Bad start? I've never written something like this and I'm definitely going to have a hard time. I've never written horror either so chances are it will be more light hearted and slowly become more serious. Or it'll all be like this. I don't know. I've read a couple of good horror stories on this site but I don't think this compares. I'll do my best. I'll probably do some editing at some point.

**Edited 10/1/2020**


	2. Fog

**Prompt 2:** Fog

"Is it just me or is Friedkin University getting creepier?" Kevin asked as he and Gwen strolled through the campus halls. "Zed don't eat that."

Gwen paused as Kevin deviated from the path to stop his dog from sticking her nose into a Jack 'O Lantern sitting beside one of the Science Center's support beams. She had a few textbooks in her arms and her backpack slung over one shoulder. "You always think Friedkin University is creepy."

"There's a painting with eyes that follow you just down that hallway over there," Kevin stated as he dragged Zed back to the main path. Zed whined but gave up on her efforts, settling for following her master as the trio continued walking.

"You're just imagining that," Gwen responded.

"Rook and Ben saw it too," Kevin pointed out.

"They have a brain and a half between the two of them."

"And Rook has ninety-five percent of that brain and a half."

Gwen rose an eyebrow. "What?"

"What?"

Gwen sighed. "Nevermind."

"Well, you've got to admit that the moon looks pretty freaky right now," Kevin said, gesturing an arm vaguely at the sky. Zed barked in agreement.

"It's nighttime. Everything looks creepier at night," Gwen told him, sounding tired.

"Ah ha! So you admit that it's creepy!"

"Not in your wildest dreams," Gwen said with a smirk. She adjusted her glasses. "Now I've got to get to class so I'm going to leave you two here."

"But it's like ten o'clock," Kevin protested.

"This is college."

"But you never have classes this late."

"You don't know a lot about college do you?"

"Not in the slightest. You're the brains of this relationship, babe."

"Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"No promises," Kevin said with a grin.

"I guess that's all I can ask for."

Kevin grinned. "You've got that right."

Gwen chuckled and kissed him on the cheek before walking away, leaving Kevin and Zed standing under the Science Center's balcony. Kevin leaned out from under it to look up at the night sky then back at Zed.

"I swear something freaky is going on," Kevin said. "If I hide under the coverings and run between buildings so the moon's not staring at me you won't judge, right?"

Zed barked and wagged her tail.

"Good girl."

* * *

Kevin's place wasn't too far from campus. It never took long for him to walk back, even at night. Tonight, however, was different. Somehow, he had gotten lost.

Honestly, he felt like kind of an idiot. Well, he usually felt like kind of an idiot. Here he was, a guy who didn't even finish high school who hung around one of the best colleges in the country. He knew his way around alien tech but he lacked plenty of common Earth knowledge. He knew he wasn't dumb enough to lose his way on a path he walked every day though. This was ridiculous.

"Ugh," Kevin groaned. "If I have to call Gwen to come find me I'll… I don't know what I'll do. That's not happening. Not in a million years."

Zed whined. Kevin sighed.

"I know, girl," Kevin said, patting her flank. "We'll get home soon."

Zed suddenly snarled and Kevin tensed and looked around. Zed's eyes were trained on something in the distance but Kevin couldn't see what. The town surrounding the university was fairly uninteresting, mostly wilderness and off-campus living. Just trees, pavement, and lines of houses on either side of the roads. It was very much a college town. There weren't many people in the area other than students and professors. Kevin had no idea what Zed possibly could've been growling at. The only movement he could see was the shadows of leaves in the wind.

"What is it, girl?" Kevin asked. Zed barked before darting off between two houses. Kevin tried to grab her by the collar before she could disappear but the old hunting dog was too quick for him. "Zed! Wait! You can't just go running into people's backyards."

Zed ignored him and squeezed into the gap between a fence and the light yellow wall of a house. Kevin groaned and ran after her just in time to see her pushing her way through a hole between two planks of the fence blocking the stranger's house from the yard. Kevin tried to follow her but he couldn't even come close to fitting his broad shoulders into the gap. He gave an annoyed sigh before putting his hands on the top of the fence and hoisting himself over.

The second his feet hit the ground again, a thin fog rolled in. Kevin frowned and waved his hand, try to whisk it away but it continued to obstruct his vision. "Zed? Come on, where are you?"

The fog kept getting thicker but Kevin heard his dog bark for him followed by the sound of scratching. She was by the fence. Kevin ran over and found her pawing the wood with her sharp claws.

"Something there?" Kevin asked. Zed whined and reared up onto her hind legs to scratch more frantically. Kevin wrapped his arms around her and picked her up and moved her aside. "Nothing there, girl. See?"

Kevin placed his hand on the fence, using his Osmosian power to absorb the wood. He shifted his hand into a sharp spike and jabbed it between two planks. Zed began barking loudly but her warning didn't come soon enough. Almost immediately, Kevin was met with a sharp flow of electricity rushing up his arm. He grunted in pain and stumbled back, dropping his wooden form. He hit the grassy earth and rubbed his arm.

"What the heck was that?" Kevin demanded, glaring at the fence. Zed whined again and nosed his arm. Kevin rubbed her head. "Don't worry. I'm fine. Or at least I'll be fine whenever I find the dude who installed an electrical fence around his backyard and give him a beat down. This guy should know better. This is a college town. Kid are always up to no good around here."

Zed began barking again and the fog became thicker. Kevin moved back to the fence so he could absorb the wood again but his hand only met air. Thinking he missed it, he flailed his hand for a bit, only to find that the fence was, in fact, gone. He frowned. He was familiar with teleportation and portal technology and he was sure he hadn't been transported somewhere. Even magic had a distinct feel to it and he certainly hadn't been hit with any kind of spell. He looked down at his feet. The ground was covered in a layer of mist so he couldn't see his feet but he was certain he could still feel the same soft dirt under his heavy feet that he had felt before. He hadn't gone anywhere. Maybe it was a retractable fence? He hadn't heard anything but he had no idea where it could have gone. It was the only explanation he could think of.

He stepped back, moving closer to Zed, and placed his hand on his dog's collar. There wasn't enough metal in it to make his absorption cover his whole body but it was enough to coat his hand and mold it into a weapon if he had to. And he was ready to bet anything that he had to.

Zed suddenly growled. Kevin followed her gaze and rose his metal coated hand. He held his fist up defensively and scanned the area for enemies. He saw nothing more than the airy grey haze though. "I'm warning you! This isn't funny."

With his human hand, Kevin tried to wave away more fog but it had grown even denser. Usually fog in this area just spilled over the floor in a thin layer but tonight the cloud reached far above Kevin's head. He sniffed the air. There was a dampness in the air as well as a certain freshness. There was no fog machine at work here. This was real. Kevin doubted it was natural though. He'd been around Friedkin University long enough to know that there was enough of a spellcasting population to point fingers in their direction anytime anything out of the ordinary happened and be right.

By now, Zed's hackles has risen and she had crouched into a stance that showed she was ready to attack. Kevin eyed her warily. Since taking her in, Zed rarely displayed this type of behavior. Aggression wasn't a good sign. Something was definitely up.

Kevin saw a shadow move in the corner of his eye. Zed's reaction was quick and she swiftly lunged at the silhouette behind the fog. Kevin ran after her, swinging his metal fist wildly but it didn't connect with anything. He whirled around, trying to spot the figure but found nothing. He was just standing alone in a field of haze. It surrounded him, blinding him. He could hear the jingle of Zed's collar as she walked but other than that, he could just hear the breeze in the trees and the echo of cars on the road in the distance. He would never admit it but the roars of engines sounded like wails in the night and the rustle of leaves sent a chill down his spine. He shivered as a coldness suddenly overcame him. He was tempted to wrap his arms around himself. It felt like the chill had entered his bones and collected in his chest.

The silence spooked him and Kevin began creeping forward, trying to find his dog without alerting whoever was here in the fog with them of his movement. He had been on enough crazy adventures and seen enough aliens to be unafraid of the unknown. He was far from scared but only an idiot wouldn't be on guard at a time like this.

Zed began barking loudly. Kevin jumped at the sharp noise slicing through the eerie whistle of the wind. Kevin broke into a run and made a beeline for the noise. For some reason, he didn't want to speak. He was sure if something was hunting him, it would be able to locate him by the sounds of his sneakers squeaking in the muddy grass below but he felt like he should try to stay silent as the world around him.

That didn't stop him from screaming when something slammed into him though.

Kevin's back hit the floor hard. He managed to reach his neck forward to keep his head from slamming into the ground and he landed flat but it still hurt. A weight fell on top of him. In the moment, his fighting instinct kicked in and he lashed out but he caught himself last second.

"Zed?" Kevin questioned, peering at the long, purple face staring down at him. Zed was sprawled out on top of him. "What are you doing, girl?"

Zed's bark was cut off by a sudden yelp. The weight on Kevin's chest vanished as Zed was dragged back. Kevin sat up quickly and watched his dog gripped at the ground as she something yanked her back by the tail, her paws leaving long streaks in the earth as she tried to hold on. Kevin reached forward but he was too slow and Zed disappeared into the wall of mist.

"That's it!" Kevin shouted angrily, getting to his feet. "No one hurts my dog! You messed with the wrong guy! Come out and fight!"

"Pass," a voice said, speaking for the first time since the fog rolled in. It sounded familiar. It struck a chord in Kevin's mind but before he could identify it, the sound of a blaster went off. He turned just in time to see a shot of energy flying towards him. He grunted as it made contact and fell unconscious before he hit the floor.

He would never see it but the moment his mind vanished into the realm of unconsciousness, the fog began to bleed back and a small figure collected the pair of man and dog.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Coincidentally, I'm doing college tours right now. Maybe I'll write some more stuff at Friedkin University. Depends on the prompts. It works with the theme though. College tours are pretty tiring which is why I missed updating on 10/2 even though I finished the chapter that day. I fell asleep when I got home from the University I was visiting.

**Edited 10/1/2020**


	3. Zombies

**Prompt 3:** Zombies

Gwen stifled a groan as the lecture dragged on. She was bored enough that she was seriously considering slamming her head on the wooden surface of her desk. The only thing that kept her from doing it was the fact that the smallest noise echoed like a gunshot in the rounded lecture hall. And a few kids actually looked interested in Hex's lecture. She didn't know why. He was just talking about some old man who wasn't even that involved with magic. Gwen wasn't about to interrupt and interfere with another student's education though.

Hex glanced at the clock and looked to the class as his lecture began to decline. "That's all the time we have for tonight. Come on, everyone head on out of here. I'm sure you all have better things to do. Gwendolyn, stay here. I need to speak with you."

Gwen sighed as she got up and gathered up her things. The rest of the class trickled out of the lecture hall as she made her way down the stairs up to the front of the room where Hex was waiting.

"Sorry if it looked like I wasn't paying attention," Gwen started. "I was. Really. It's just…"

"Your professor putting away the mystic artifacts and talking about some of the lesser magicians is boring?" Hex ventured. Gwen blinked in surprise and nodded. Hex chuckled. "Well, I feel the same way. Don't worry, next month we'll be back at the interesting stuff. I can't risk breaking out any artifacts from my collection right now.""

"A month?" Gwen questioned. She wanted to slump over and groan. She didn't know if she could take another month of this.

Hex didn't miss a beat. "You do know what month it is, right?"

Gwen blinked. "... October?"

"You know why we mystic wielders must be cautious during this time of year," Hex stated.

Gwen tilted her head. "Um, no. I don't. Should I?"

Hex frowned. "How long have you been in touch with your Anodite abilities?"

Gwen thought for a moment. "Since I was ten. Well, I only really got good control of them recently. A year ago? Maybe two?"

Hex hummed. "Then you haven't been targeted by any of the forces that arise this time of year."

"Excuse me?"

"Magic wielders, divine beings, spirits, and rituals of all types grow stronger under the moon humans call October," Hex told her. "As a spellcasting Anodite, you should be careful."

"Why?"

"You never know who might try to snatch you up as a sacrifice or try to drain your power to get that extra boost to caste some kind of world ending spell," Hex said casually. "Don't worry though, Gwendolyn. In my youth, I earned my respect as a magic user so the others know to stay away from me. As long as you're on campus, they should stay away from you too."

"Do… whoever these guys just target magicians?" Gwen asked. "Because my cousin is kind of a trouble magnet. I don't want him to get caught up in some magical stuff when I'm not around."

"You should keep an eye on your loved ones," Hex advised. "You never know what might happen."

"Thanks Hex," Gwen said genuinely. "It's getting late and Kevin will worry if I'm out too long. I'll see you next class."

"Of course," Hex said with a polite dip of his head and looked back to the book cracked open on his desk as Gwen walked up the stairs of the lecture hall to the exit.

* * *

The walk from the Friedkin University campus to Kevin's place wasn't far. It was the dead of night but the sky was clear without a hint of fog. A light breeze ruffled the dried autumn leaves on the trees, chilling the air. Gwen shivered slightly as she made her way down the street.

It was dark and quiet but Gwen wasn't afraid. She liked to think that after all she's been through fighting alongside Ben, Kevin, and, more recently, Rook and Zed, she had seen enough that not much scared her nowadays. Not to mention she was getting pretty well versed in magic and her Anodite abilities. Plus she trained in martial arts for a number of years. That never hurt. She could kick any ass that came after her with or without her powers. It didn't mean that a sudden noise wouldn't spook her though.

Gwen jumped in surprise as a loud noise blared through the street, echoing in the night, but put a hand on her chest in relief when she realized it was just her phone ringing. She let out a breath as she pulled it out of her backpack and held it up to her ear. "Hi Grandpa. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," Max told her. "Have you spoken to Ben or Rook recently?"

Gwen lowered her phone from her ear and checked her messages. "Um, I texted Rook this morning. And Ben yesterday. Why? Did something happen?"

Max sighed. "I don't know. The three of us went to Undertown to get some grub and we got separated. I asked some of the locals if they saw anything and they said that someone net them and drag them off."

Gwen felt a flash of worry before shaking her head. "They'll be fine. It's Ben and Rook, they can handle themselves. Are you sure they're not just trying to escape your Halloween pranks this year, Grandpa?"

"I don't have anything planned this year."

"Uh-huh," Gwen said sarcastically. "Right."

"I thought I'd pick on your brother this year," Max said. Gwen could practically hear him smiling. She was certain she wasn't imagining the fondness in his voice either. "I figured you and Ben could use a break and I didn't want to scare off Rook and Kevin just yet. Besides, Ken could use some Halloween fun."

Gwen let a soft smile slide onto her face. "Yeah. It's been awhile since he's done anything like that. He's been busy since he moved out."

"I think he'll enjoy it," Max said goodnaturedly. "Tell me if you hear anything from Rook or Ben, alright?"

"Of course, Grandpa," Gwen said. "Talk to you soon."

"Goodnight Gwen."

Gwen hung up her phone and put it back into her pocket as she walked up to the place Kevin was renting out. She dug out her keys and went inside, dropping her backpack off by the door. "Kevin! Zed! I'm home!"

Gwen expected to hear rapid pawsteps and nails clicking on the hardwood floors as Zed ran to greet her or a casual yet happy greeting from Kevin but she heard nothing. She frowned and moved inside.

"Kevin? Zed?" she called. She frowned. Still no response. She did a quick spell to check the house. She got nothing. Worry fluttered back up in her chest and she cast the spell over a larger area. Still nothing.

Hex's words came back to her. _Keep an eye on your loved ones._ Worry began to ascend into panic. She wished that she had heeded Hex's words sooner. She reminded herself that she couldn't have known and that she still didn't know what had happened before heading back out the door. She needed to find Hex.

* * *

At some point, Gwen had broken into a run to make it back to campus. It was late and she knew Hex wouldn't be around long. Yeah, she had access to his library but she would rather approach him somewhere that wasn't such a private place in the middle of the night.

Gwen was breathing hard but not out of breath when she reached the lecture hall she had been sitting in not even an hour ago. The lights were on but Gwen saw no one inside. She picked her way down the stairs and walked to the front of the room to check.

"Hex?" Gwen called, pushing the curtain that spanned behind the lecture podium to look in the back. She saw nothing. "It's Gwen. I need to talk to you."

She saw nothing and heard nothing. There was no one hear. She withdrew and started to head back out when she heard an explosion outside. Quickly, she ran for the door, powering up her mana to transform into Lucky Girl in the process.

When she made it outside, she saw Hex hovering in the quad. He was weaving his hands into some signs that Gwen didn't recognize to build up mystic energy. He swept his arms out, releasing it in a wave.

Gwen was shocked at first. It had been awhile since she'd seen her teacher use his powers. Then she saw what he was fighting.

Quickly, she formed a few platforms in the air like steps to run to his side. Hex adapted quickly and the two were soon back to back.

Gwen fired a few mana blasts at the oncomers. Their skin was grey, their hair was unhealthy, and their movements were always and sluggish. "Zombies? Is Micheal Morningstar back?"

Hex huffed as he fired a blast of dark energy, sending a number of zombies flying. "There are plenty of others who know how to drain life force. I suppose I should've known someone would target Friedkin University. All the mystic energy around, some of it was bound to rub off on the students. Makes them a bit more energized than normal humans. I hear they taste better too. Uh, figuratively that is. I think."

"Any idea who could be behind this?" Gwen asked as she formed a wall of mana. She thrust her arms out, sending it forward. An entire section of the zombies was forced back.

Hex shook his head. "No. It's been awhile since someone's attacked me this time of year. They must be after you or just thought this was too good of a meal to pass up. I'm going to lean towards the former."

"How come?"

"You left," Hex said as if it were obvious, "then you came back looking for me. I doubt you would do that for no reason. Chyhák siy há chyoosoo ya!"

Energy whirled around Hex's hands as the spell was cast. It came out like a wave, knocking the creatures back. A few tried to retaliate but whips made from mana made them rethink and flee. Within the minute, Hex and Gwen were the only ones remaining.

"Yeah," Gwen said, landing so she and Hex were facing each other. "On my way back to Kevin's place, my grandpa called me to tell me my cousin and his partner were missing. And then when I got inside, I couldn't find Kevin or Zed anywhere."

Hex frowned. "Missing? Did you try a search spell?"

"Just for Kevin and Zed," Gwen told him. "Not for Ben and Rook. They live in Bellwood. I don't think I could reach them."

Hex stroked his chin. "That doesn't sound like these forces."

"What?"

"We just fought off the work of a life drainer," Hex said, "and not a very serious one. These children will be fine after a good night's sleep and a meal or two to replenish their energy. They weren't drained enough for the drainer to mean any harm. And a drainer doesn't take live hostages very often. Unless, of course, they are taking an energy being. Which they did not."

Gwen frowned. "So you think these zombies were a separate attack?"

Hex nodded. "I'm certain of it. You should meet up with your grandfather and find your friends. I can find whoever is draining students on campus but do not hesitate to call if you need some help."

"Thank you, Hex," Gwen said flashing a smile. "I might just have to take you up on that."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I was going to try to write one chapter every day but this one took three days. Actually, it took two days of writer's block and one day of writing. Blame Gwen. She's hard to write.

**Edited 10/1/2020**


	4. Disappearance

**Prompt 4:** Disappearance

Max was just about ready to pull out the rest of his greying hair out of stress when Gwen walked into the Plumber Headquarters. At the sight of his granddaughter, he relaxed visibly and let out a breath of relief. He would soon realize that relief was misplaced.

"How ya doing Gwen?" Max greeted, leaving his place next to the control station beside Patalliday to approach her. "I didn't expect you to come by."

"Yeah, well, something came up," she responded. Max frowned. That didn't sound good.

"Can it wait?" Bluik asked, scratching the side of his head. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"No we're not," Driba said, looking up. "What's going on?"

Bluik and Driba were standing on the panel next to Magister Patelliday. Gwen walked up to Bluik and picked him up. The Galvan looked surprised and annoyed but didn't resist when she placed him on her shoulder. During the Incursean invasion, Gwen had found this was a good way to placate him and she later realized that keeping Bluik and Driba even a few feet apart caused them to argue less. Not by much but she wasn't really in the mood to listen to them bicker.

"I was talking to Hex earlier and he said that the mystic forces tended to act up this time of year," Gwen started. "I was a bit skeptical at first but, you know, it's Hex. And then you called saying that Ben and Rook were gone then Kevin and Zed went missing… I don't know if it has anything to do with-"

"Kevin and Zed are gone too?" Patalliday questioned. He laid a hand on his face. "Great. Just what we need."

"No it's not," Driba said. "That's the exact opposite of what we need."

Patalliday stared at him for a moment before shooting Gwen a look that screamed _this what I have to deal with all day_ before letting out a breath. "We could really use your help on this, Gwendolyn."

"Of course, Magister Patalliday," Gwen said with a smile to hide her worry. "I already used a search spell to look for Kevin and Zed though. I couldn't find a trace of them."

Bluik frowned and tapped his chin. "We need to add Kevin and Zed's DNA signatures to the sensors."

"And take the area that Gwendolyn has already checked out of our scans so we can search farther out," Driba added.

"How far did you search?" Gwen asked.

"Just around this solar system," Bluik answered.

"Oh. Um… I didn't cast the spell all that far out."

"Then scratch what I said about taking Gwendolyn's scans into account," Bluik said, tapping away at the keyboard. "We're just about hit the limits of our scanners."

"Maybe we should contact the other Plumber bases?" Pataliday suggested. "We did that when Khyber and Albedo took Ben to that ship out who knows where. The other bases were happy to help."

"We found out that those scans aren't exactly reliable," Max reminded. He looked to the Galvans. "Do a more thorough scan. It's not like the four of them just disappeared into thin air."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, it's short. Yeah, I could've written more. But did I? No. I didn't want to drag it on and I'm still two days behind on the prompts.

**Edited 10/1/2020**


	5. Apple Cider

**Prompt:** Apple Cider

"Drink?" a lowly henchman offered, dipping his head as he paused at the table side. The seated figure waved him a way with long hand. Sharp claws poked out from his draped sleeves. The henchman put the bottle into his mouth and dropped down to all fours to scuttle away.

"Wait," a voice said. He paused and looked over his shoulder at the second of the three men seated around the table.

The sky was dark. The moon was supposed to be beautiful tonight but thick clouds covered the moonlight, casting the city into darkness penetrated only by the weak flames in lanterns. However, there were no chandeliers or candles in the castle that overlooked the city but even the darkness that came with sitting in the shadows could not hide the hulkish frame of the speaker. The wolf-like men turned and dropped the bottle into his hand. He tilted his head, prompting the brutish man to speak.

"I'd like some," the deep voice said. The wolf dipped his head and hobbled over to pour some of the liquid into the tall glass resting on the table top. The man dipped his head in thanks before raising his glass and sipping from it delicately.

On the opposite side of the table, a sound of annoyance and disgust sounded. A thin pinched face pulled tighter as the figure's eyes narrowed. "Do not indulge, Viktor. We have much to discuss."

Viktor glared at the smaller man. "Do not tell me what to do, Vladat."

"Please, please," the first figure said, waving his hands to settle them down before any fighting could break out. The wolf-man flattened his ears against his head. The figure's voice was a sharp screech. It was like nails on a chalkboard. He wanted to whine but he felt a buzz of energy on his forehead, courtesy of his master's control. Right now, he was nothing more than a servant and a servant couldn't complain about his masters' guests. He just had to wait quietly for orders.

The cloaked figure rose, sweeping around the room smoothly. He circled the table and his partners, running the tips of his claws over the backs of the chairs, leaving gashes in the wood. Again, the noise made the wolf wanted to whine but the urge only made the feeling of the master's influence grow.

"This is the only chance of peace that we will have for some time," the screechy voice said as he circled. "I'm sure the two of you would like peace between Anur Transyl's species as much as I do."

"Not particularly," the master said. "Especially not with your kind, Ectonurite."

"Vladats are not one of Anur Transyl's native species," Viktor argued, glaring at the wolf's master, "and I doubt that the three of us represent our planet's wishes."

"Oh?" the screechy voice questioned. It sounded humored. "And why is that?"

Viktor vaguely waved one of his massive, stitched hands in the wolf's direction. "There are no Thep Kufans here. And the only Loboan is under Transyl's control."

"That is Lord Transyl to you," the master hissed. Through the corruptura control device on his forehead, the Loboan felt his controller's annoyance. Transyl's patience was running thin. "Why did you call us here, Zs'skayr?"

"Right," Viktor said, looking to the ghost. "I thought Tennyson ended the Vladat."

Zs'skayr wrapped his bony hands around the base of his head and cracked it, rotating his head so it was upright again. "Tennyson, Tennyson, Tennyson. What if I told you some… friends of mine could help us get our revenge?"

Viktor snorted. "I have no interest in him. I have better things to do than focus on an Earthling."

"I am interested," Transyl said, leaning forward on the table. The Loboan felt the control chip buzz and he took a few steps so he was winding around Transyl's feet like a dog. He ducked his head, feeling shame in the action but the master commanded it so he had no choice. "It's that brat's fault I was subjected to the light."

"Indeed," Zs'skayr agreed. "If not for Yenaldooshi, I never would've gotten free from that accursed light prison."

"That guy's still around?" Viktor questioned. He jabbed a finger in the Loboan's direction. "Then why do we have this thing around? Yenaldooshi and Mummy aren't bad partners. They're both reasonable. Unlike you two."

"This one amuses me," Transyl said passively. He reached down and ran his long fingers over the Loboan's head. The Loboan froze at the feeling of claws in his fur but he couldn't pull away and was forced to sit still and let the Vladnat stroke him. "He is a good pet."

"Yenaldooshi would resent you treating one of his kind like that."

The Loboan wanted to howl in agreement but the master merely shrugged off Viktor's words.

"Yenaldooshi is overseeing the… domestic side of the plan," Zs'skayr said. "Mummy is handling the offworld bits with some old friends of mine."

The Loboan's ears pricked at the sound of that. He could do nothing in his current state but the ghost's words intrigued him.

"Plan?" Transyl questioned. "You make a plan then dare ask us for help?"

"It's not concrete."

"You said domestic," Viktor said. "I assume you plan to take advantage of the commoners… uh, festivities?"

Zs'skayr nodded. "You know this is when their savage side comes out. Mummy had no trouble getting the locals' help in finding what I needed."

"And what is that?" Transyl asked.

Zs'skayr grinned came to a stop and grinned. "Tennyson and his little friends."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Unlike the last one, this chapter was a fun and easy write. Ironically this was the first chapter I got lost with on the prompt. I should write more villain stuff. Never done it but I like it.

I always thought that Yenaldooshi and Mummy were the same characters as Crüjo and Kuphulu but turns out they're totally different characters. Which makes zero sense. They totally could've reused those guys or even just revealed that Yenaldooshi and Mummy weren't their real names, just like how Zs'skayr's name was revealed.

Fun fact: autocorrect somehow knows Zs'skayr's name. It is very hard to spell.

**Edited 10/1/2020**


	6. Banshee

**Prompt 6:** Banshee

Ben groaned as he sat up. He clutched his head briefly before rubbing his back. He was lying on cold, hard concrete. He glanced over his shoulder to look down at it only to see Rook, Kevin, and Zed lying on the dark ground behind him.

"Rook!" Ben called and quickly scrambled to his feet. He crouched beside him and started shaking him, trying to rouse him but he had no luck. The metal of his proto-armor was cool to the touch, just like the dark stone around them. They had all been lying here unconscious for awhile. Ben frowned and moved onto Kevin. The Osmosian didn't stir either. "Come on, buddy. Wake up."

Ben turned and began shaking Zed. He didn't expect anything to happen but the dog-like alien twitched before stirring. After a few seconds, she lifted her head and stared up at him. She barked. Once.

"Of course you're the only one who wakes up," Ben sighed. Zed flattened her ears and glared at him, her lip feeling back in a growl. Ben put his hands up defensively. "Woah, I didn't mean anything by it. I just… Y'know, the two of us... We don't really tick."

Zed seemed to roll her eyes before padding up to Kevin. She began licking his face, whining gently for him to wake.

Trusting Zed to do her best to wake up his friends, Ben wandered away a bit to try to find out where they were. So far, all he could see was the same stone that made up the floor. Everywhere. The walls, the ceiling, there was so little color that Ben felt like he could go insane after long enough here. Not that something like that would happen anytime soon. He was Ben 10. He wouldn't let a concrete room stop him.

Besides, he was certain Grandpa Max was just messing with him and his friends. It was just like when he was a kid. Grandpa would always try to scare him and Gwen or…. "Hey Zed?"

Zed looked up and barked.

"Do you smell Gwen anywhere?"

Zed lifted her muzzle and sniffed the air before shaking her narrow head.

Ben frowned and put his hands on his hips. "That's weird. Why wouldn't Grandpa bring Gwen? Maybe he wanted to do an all guys thing?"

Zed began barking loudly.

"Sorry, sorry. I know you're a girl, Zed," Ben said. Zed looked pleased for a moment before resuming her efforts to wake up her owner. She whined and began pawing his face.

Ben looked back to the room. He saw one door out. It was made of the same stone as the rest of the room but the creases and cracks made it stand out. He made his way over to it and ran his hands over the seams, trying to figure out how to open it. Eventually, his fingers found their way to a button and a section of the wall fell in, making the door slide open with the harsh rumble of shifting stone.

"That was easy. Grandpa must be losing his touch," Ben said aloud. Then again, Grandpa usually went for the traditional spooky sort of thing. He wasn't above taking them to a haunted house but Ben had never seen a haunted house made of stone or with a door mechanism like this. Then again, it had been awhile since he'd been to one. Maybe Halloween tech had gotten better since he was a kid.

Ben stuck his head out through the door, not stepping out of the frame. He'd been in enough creepy temples to know that the door always shut behind you and he didn't want to lose track of Kevin, Rook, and Zed. Even if they were still asleep and one of them was a dog.

He glanced around a bit, seeing more of the same stone. This area was a bit more open though. Instead of a room, there were multiple walls and halls and… "Wait… Don't tell me this is a maze. I suck at mazes! You know this Grandpa! I can't even do the mazes on the back of cereal boxes!"

A groan echoed through the room. Ben turned to see Kevin sitting up. Zed began barking excitedly as she licked his face in greeting. Her tail was wagging so hard that her whole body was shaking. Kevin was smiling. He was always happy to get some love from his dog. He rubbed her back as he turned to look at Ben. "Ben? What's going on? Last thing I remember is getting lost and fighting this weird thing in the fog."

"I think this is one of Grandpa's Halloween tricks," Ben said. "He always tries to scare me and Gwen. It doesn't work so well now that we're older…"

"Dude. You're scared of peacocks and clowns," Kevin stated as Zed moved away from him to try to wake up Rook. Not wanting to lick fur, the dog began pawing his face. "You can't possibly be that hard to scare."

Ben shot him an annoyed glare. "Do you want me to fill you in or not?"

"Fill me in please."

"Okay, so Rook and I were shopping in Undertown for Grandpa when he netted us and then I woke up here," Ben explained.

"Wait. That's it? I thought there was more than that."

"Why? I just said that this was a Halloween thing."

"Yeah but when you say 'fill me in,' I expect a longer story."

Ben shrugged. "I think Bluik and Driba are in on it. They were acting kind of squirrely before we left. Asking way too many questions about where we were going to be."

Zed turned and barked a few times.

"Oh, that's right," Kevin said. "The thing we fought stuck low to the ground so maybe it was one of them."

Ben snorted in laughter. "You got KO'd by Bluik and Driba."

Kevin looked away. "No."

"Dude. You totally got KO'd by Bluik and Driba."

"You and Rook got taken out by your grandpa."

"Yeah but at least Grandpa Max is a cool Plumber."

"Bluik and Driba are Plumbers too."

"But are they cool ones?"

"How long is Rook going to lie there like a log?" Kevin demanded, changing the subject. He got to his feet and gently nudge Zed away from him. "Zed, move."

Kevin leaned over him. Ben rose an eyebrow and wandered closer, curious as to what he was going to do. Kevin stared at Rook for a few seconds then at his hand before slapping the Revonhaganger across the face.

"Ow!" Rook was awake in an instant. He made a sound of pain before opening his eyes and glaring at Kevin. "What was that for?"

Kevin shrugged and got off of him. "You were taking too long to wake up."

Rook rubbed the side of his face and sat up. "Where are we?"

"No idea," Ben said, "but I messed with the door a little bit and got it open. There's a maze out there."

Kevin groaned. "I hate mazes. I can't even do the ones on the back of cereal boxes."

"I know right?" Ben agreed.

"Mazes are not difficult," Rook said, "though I do not understand the human obsession with them."

"Me neither, man," Kevin said. "Me neither."

"And they are totally difficult, dude," Ben added.

"They are really not," Rook said, getting to his feet. "You can solve any maze by following the edges. And we have Zed with us. Her scenting abilities should prevent us from walking in circles."

"Ugh," Ben groaned. "I'm not going to waste time wandering through a maze."

"Well, it looks like it's the only way out," Rook pointed out.

"Yeah but there are faster ways to solve a maze," Ben said. He held up his wrist and began cycling through the aliens in the Omnitrix. "Come on, Omnitrix. Give me something I can use."

Ben closed his eyes and began twirling the selection ring around. Kevin shot Rook a questioning look. Rook shrugged. "It is something new we are trying out. We're letting the Omnitrix decide which aliens to turn Ben into."

"That's dumb," Kevin said as the sound of the Omnitrix activating went off behind them.

"But it works," Echo Echo responded. He split into three copies of himself. "We'll. Be. Out. Of. Here. In. No time. Come on. Let's go."

Rook, Kevin, and Zed exchanged a glance before following the tiny aliens out the door. The Echo Echos split again and each took a different pathway as the others skidded to a stop beside one remaining Echo Echo to prevent getting lost. Zed opened her sharp maw and took an experimental bite of his head, gnawing on it a bit.

"Hey!" Echo Echo protested as he was lifted off the ground. His little arms swatted at Zed's muzzle. "Echo Echo is made of silicon! I think that's poisonous for dogs."

"Can Echo Echo use echolocation?" Rook asked as Zed spat him out. "That would be faster than just sending copies to search every possible way out."

"Oh right," the Echo Echo said. "I forgot about that."

Echo Echo opened his mouth and let out a scream. Rook and Kevin grit their teeth and covered their ears. Even if it wasn't facing them, the sound was still eardrum shattering. Zed put her head on the ground and covered her pointed ears with her paws.

The sound died down but the other Echo Echo's cries deeper in the maze could be heard. The Echo Echo waiting at the entrance listened for a few seconds before waving Rook, Zed, and Kevin after him. "Let's go. I think we found a door."

"That was fast," Kevin commented.

Echo Echo shrugged. "Multiple bodies, multiple mouths, multiple ears, multiple minds. I got feedback from everyone. Come on. We are out of here!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I'm stretching the prompts a bit. But they are doing what they're supposed to do. No way I would've been able to come up with any of this without the brain stimulus.

Zed's such an underrated character. Originally she was such a cool villain but then she just appeared in the series for comedic purposes. Either way, she's awesome. Gwen is too hard to write but we still need some girl power.

A guest asked about the Naruto/ yj crossover. Please sign your name or sign in so I can respond directly. It's coming. I've actually got over 200K words for it written but I'm just waiting for a good time to post. PM me if you want to ask about it.

**Edited 10/1/2020**


	7. Ritual

**Prompt:** Ritual

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Magister Patelliday asked.

"Of course," Gwen said. "I wouldn't ask Hex to come if I didn't think he would help."

"He's covered the entire hub with blood!" Patelliday exclaimed.

"It's just water with redstone dust in it," Hex said, standing upright from where he was drawing complex streaks on the ground. "We need this ritual if we're going to find those wayward children of yours. Now, the drawings are almost complete. I just need something to focus the spell. Preferably something I can use to hone on each of their energy signatures."

"Like what?" Gwen asked, eyeing the markings on the ground. They were complex but distinctly magic. Not that being magic meant she understood it. There were rings with intricate lines intertwining them which was pretty typical but they broke off into more circles and symbols that she didn't understand. She trusted Hex though, as a fellow mystic and a friend. She was sure he could help her find Ben, Rook, Grandpa, and Zed.

"A personal belonging, something they frequently use, a possession that carries their energy, that sort of thing," Hex said with a shrug.

"Because that is any more specific," Driba said sarcastically as he and Driba tried to jump over the ink streaked over the base's floor. The ritual markings covered most of the floor, Gwen really had no idea how anyone got any work done with them there. Gwen used her powers to lift the two Galvans up and carried them to the other side of the room. Driba smiled as he was lowered back to the ground. "Thank you, Gwendolyn. You have no idea how hard it is to work in these conditions."

"We were actually trying to go the other way," Bluik said.

"No we weren't!"

"Yes we were."

"No, we weren't!"

"Yes, we were."

"Maybe you were but I certainly want to be over here."

"No you don't. You want to be over there with me."

Gwen sighed and looked back to Hex and Patelliday. "I can go back to Kevin's place and grab his keys and Zed's water bowl. Magister Patelliday, can you go into Rook's quarters and find something for him and ask Grandpa Max for Ben's… I don't know, jacket?"

"I've got one of his Mister Smoothie's cups," Bluik said. "That should work, right?"

"Only if he has been in close contact with it regularly," Hex said. "How long have you had it?"

"Um… six to eight months."

"You've had Ben's 2015 Limited Edition So-So Smooth Mister Smoothie's Collector Edition Cup for six to eight months?" Driba screeched.

"He let me borrow it. Never asked for it back," Bluik said, scratching the side of his head. "Not going to pass up an opportunity like that to get a free 2015 Limited Edition So-So Smooth Mister Smoothie's Collector Edition Cup."

"That is theft!"

"No it's not."

"Yes it is!"

"No, it's not!"

Hex sighed and looked at Magister Patelliday. "And I thought my coworkers were bad."

"Tell me about it," Patelliday said, putting his hands on his hips to glare at the pair. "You two better on skedaddle on back to your lab!"

Bluik and Driba began complaining but a glare from Hex sent them running.

"I can swing by Ben's parents' house and grab his pillow or something," Gwen offered after the silence stretched for a few seconds. "He sleeps on it so it should've had more than enough contact, right?"

"Yes," Hex said, turning to look back at the seals on the ground. "Now you two go run along and get what I need while I finish the ritual. With four targets, we should be able to teleport to them quite easily."

* * *

**Author's Note: **New cover image. The old one was kind of crude and not really in the spooky theme.

**Edited 10/2/2020**


	8. Haunted Woods

**Prompt:** Haunted Woods

Echo Echo let out a final shriek, his sonic cry blasting back the door separating him and his friends from the outside world. Ben turned back into himself and immediately felt a cold breeze from outside. He shivered, wishing he had his jacket or at least worn long sleeves.

Rook, Kevin, and Zed appeared behind him as he gazed outside. It was dark, clearly nighttime, but that wasn't what made him pause. The land around the maze was filled with trees that clearly weren't native to Bellwood. They were thin, twisting, and their leaves were too dry for this early in the season.

"Spooky," Kevin commented as he walked past Ben. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Rook pulled out his proto-tool and flipped it into a gps. He frowned after a few moments and looked up at the group. "I cannot find our location. I do not think we are in Bellwood."

Ben walked out after Kevin. "Come on, Grandpa wouldn't-"

But was cut off by a thin wail coming from deep in the forest. Kevin jumped. "What was that?"

"Probably just the wind," Rook said. The noise sounded again.

"I bet it's just a noise machine," Ben said, putting his hands on his hips. He walked up to the tree line and shouted into the forest, "Come on Grandpa! We're getting too old for this! We know it's you."

There was no response.

"Have you ever considered the possibility that this is not your grandfather?" Rook questioned.

"Nah. It's gotta be," Ben said. "We saw him net us, remember?"

"ID masks aren't all that uncommon," Kevin pointed out.

Ben waved them off. "Chill out. I hear someone coming. Grandpa Max is going to come out and tell us what's up and say that he wishes we were still little kids who he could scare on Halloween. Watch. It'll happen any minute now."

Kevin and Rook exchanged a glance. Zed whined then snarled, putting the two on guard. "Ben…"

Ben hushed Kevin and turned back to the forest. "Zed doesn't know what she's growling at. Come on, just watch. It'll-"

Ben was cut off by a scream and he stumbled back. Kevin put a hand on the wall behind him to absorb the material while Rook raised his weapon and fired on instinct. A shot of orange energy fired and passed clean through his target.

"Ghost!" Ben shrieked. The ghost screamed back. "Run!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, they're getting short. But it's a writing challenge. It's not supposed to be phenomenal. I'll go back and edit it once the challenge is over.

**Edited 10/2/2020**


	9. Necromancer

**Prompt 9:** Necromancer

Gwen watched as Hex placed the objects to focus the spell into the seals on the ground. The markings formed a ring of sorts but the four personal items of the targets created corners. Kevin's keys, Zed's water bowl, Ben's torn pillowcase, Rook's weapon repair equipment… Gwen's heart ached. It had taken days to set up the teleportation spell and they had heard nothing from any of them.

Hex tapped his staff on the ground, grabbing the room's attention. Currently, only the Bluik, Driba, and Patelliday were present, the Magister acting as overseer and the Galvans… Gwen had no idea why they were there. They were probably just interested in the teleportation. They had their own teleporter afterall. And with everyone else avoiding the cortex to avoid smudging the ink on the floor, there was a lower likelihood of the two getting stepped on than usual.

"The framework is complete," Hex announced. He looked to Patelliday. "There is a limit to the number of people this spell can transport. Are there any agents you wish for us to bring?"

Patelliday tapped his chin. "Well, normally we would send Ben and Rook on this kind of mission but they're not here so…"

"Can we come?" Driba asked brightly.

"You have work you need to do," Patelliday told them, "so go on and skedaddle on back to your lab. That software isn't going to code itself."

The two Galvans grumbled as they headed back to their lab with their heads down. Hex cleared his throat. "So I assume that Gwendolyn and I are going alone?"

"Wish we could send someone with you but we're a bit short-handed at the moment."

"Don't worry. This is better. This spell will be difficult to cast even with two mystics guiding it," Hex said. He turned and looked to Gwen. "Are you ready?"

"Born that way," Gwen said and she stepped into the markings. "How do we start this?"

"Just do what I do," Hex said as he joined her in the ring. He lifted his hands and began chanting. "Teǰeh wi nǔf. Kweh gâ jû spa zî glûhâ brar kweh!"

Recognizing some of the incantations, Gwen began to copy him. She lifted her hands, channeling her mana into them, and started repeating the spell. "Teǰeh wi nǔf. Kweh gâ jû spa zî glûhâ brar kweh!"

"Teǰeh wi nǔf. Kweh gâ jû spa zî glûhâ brar kweh!"

"Teǰeh wi nǔf. Kweh gâ jû spa zî glûhâ brar kweh!"

"Teǰeh wi nǔf. Kweh gâ jû spa zî glûhâ brar kweh!"

The markings glowed and energy rose into the air. After a few seconds, it engulfed them and the pair of magicians were gone.

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**Edited 10/2/2020**


	10. Pumpkins

**AN:** I am so behind on this writing challenge. I decided to have some fun and write from Zed's POV so if you're wondering why I don't use anyone's names in this chapter, that's why. I'd like to think intelligent alien dogs still think in dog terms.

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**Prompt: **Pumpkins

Zed barked, urging her packmates to hurry up. Her chest heaved as she breathed, they had been running all night, but her body was well used to the exercise but the others… The tall fuzzy one was in excellent shape. Her master was fairing well too, he was strong for a human, but the stupid monkey not so much.

Zed could hear the wails and crashes of their pursuers behind them. She tried to identify them but their scent made her nose wrinkle in disgust. This forest was damp and the wood of the trees has an old, musty smell to it that she didn't like and kept her from smelling the others in the forest. Not to mention her pack was upwind. If there were any other canines in the other pack, they could have no problem following them.

The tall fuzzy one caught up with her first. Zed rubbed against his leg. He looked tired but he smiled at her and rubbed her head. Zed let her tail wag. She liked this one. Other than her master and her master's mate, the tall fuzzy one was her favorite. He smelled and looked a bit like a cat which bothered her at first but her master liked him and he was kind to her.

Zed whined and pointed her nose ahead. The stupid monkey was alpha of the pack but Zed knew the cat man was the smartest of them. She hoped he had a plan. She didn't think the pack could keep this up forever.

"Don't worry," the tall cat man assured. His voice wasn't as even as it usually was, it was clear he was tiring, but there was no hesitation in his voice and that was a comfort to Zed. "The trees are thinning so we should break out of this forest soon. Then maybe we can get an idea of where we are and find some shelter for the night."

Zed barked softly in acknowledgement as her master and the alpha caught up. Both were breathing hard. Briefly, she wished that they were small enough to ride on her back like the spikey rat that occasionally joined the pack during outings but she knew her own strength would dwindle if she was burdened by more weight. She had to stay strong in case of an attack.

"We should break the treeline soon," the cat man told them. Zed's master and alpha looked relieved but did little more than nod before everyone picked up the pace and resumed running. Zed took the lead again but she kept her ears perked for any attackers from behind. She knew her job and she was good at it.

As the cat man predicted, the trees continued to thin and the pack broke from the forest and into open land for the first time tonight. The wind blew by freely with no trees trapping it and Zed lifted her muzzle into the air to bark with excitement. All the smells of the forest made her nose hurt and the fresh air was a relief.

"Finally!" her master cheered, thrusting his hands into the sky in victory. Zed stood at his side and threw her head back into a joyous howl. Now they had a chance of escaping their pursuers. Unfortunately, the cat man and the alpha did not seem to share their delight.

"Ben…" the cat man started. "Doesn't this place look…?"

"Familiar?" the alpha questioned. "Yeah. It's just got to be a coincidence, right?"

The cat man shook his head. "Smell the air. Look at the sky. Listen to the forest. I do not think the conditions can be replicated this well by coincidence."

Zed did as the cat man said. The sky was dark and cloudy but it was night so that was understandable. The air still held that damp, musty quality but it was thinner and more dispersed now that they were out of the dense forest. The sounds… Zed listened the best she could. Since they got out of the maze, she knew people were chasing them but she could hear no more than their stomps in the mud. She didn't understand why the cat man and the alpha looked so concerned.

"I know but…" the alpha trailed off with a frown. He glanced around for a few seconds before continuing. "Why would Grandpa Max take us here though? And how would he even…?"

"Ben," the cat man said softly. "I sincerely doubt this is a Halloween prank on your grandfather's behalf. If being chased through the woods all night has told us anything, this is no laughing matter."

"I know but here?" the alpha questioned. He sounded tired and not from running. "Pretending this was just Grandpa messing with us made it so much easier. I never wanted to see this place again, Rook."

"Me neither," the cat man sighed.

"Um, hello?" Zed's master said. "Some of us don't go galavanting around the universe anymore. What are you guys talking about? Come on, don't leave me out of the loop."

"Ever heard of Anur Transyl?" the cat man asked.

"Um… No."

"It's this crazy freaky planet in the Anur system," the alpha said. "Like straight out of a story book."

Zed exchanged a glance with her master. Neither knew what the alpha was talking about.

"The Anur system," the cat man explained, "isn't exactly the most welcoming system. The planets in this system are well connected, literally and figuratively, but they tend to not take to outsiders very well. We had some bad experiences here in the past. And they do not like Plumbers much."

"Why?" her master asked. "I mean, so far I'm not liking this place but even Tetramands open up their planet to the Plumbers and you know how they are."

"The Tranyslians are…"

"Literal monsters," the alpha interrupted. "Like actual monsters. It's so awesome but they totally hate us."

"Uh-huh," her master said with a tone of doubt. "And why do you think we're on a monster planet?"

"Because of the pumpkin people getting ready to chase us out of their field," the alpha said, casually pointing into the distance.

Zed and her alpha turned to see what he was looking at. It took a moment but Zed could see specks of orange a couple hundred yards away. She sniffed a couple times and got the distinct smells of pumpkin and something burning.

"Those are just Jack-O-Lanterns," her master said.

"Wait for it," the cat man told him.

Curiously, Zed took a few cautious pawsteps toward them. Her stomach rumbled softly. She ran for hours and she hadn't eaten in awhile. Pumpkins weren't exactly a carnivore's favorite but she wasn't about to turn down a snack. She approached the nearest pumpkin and pawed it cautiously. It looked fine.

The pumpkin suddenly moved, startling Zed and forcing her back in surprise. The pumpkin rotated to face her so she was staring directly at a pair of yellow eyes and a flaming mouth that was stretched into a wild grin. She yelped loudly and darted back toward the pack as the pumpkin lifted itself out of the ground with a thick body made of previously hidden vines.

"We are definitely on Anur Transyl," the cat man sighed.

* * *

**Edited 10/2/2020**


	11. Stormy Night

**Author's Note:** After a year, I'm back. This was my 2019 Spooktober writing challenge but I obviously didn't finish on time so I told myself I'd finish it in October 2020. I didn't know if I was going to come through but a very kind anonymous reviewer gave me the little bit of motivation I needed. Hope you enjoy!

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**Prompt 11:** Stormy Night

Fire was flung through the air, narrowly missing Rook's flank. He spun around, shifting his stance to dodge another one aimed at his shoulder. He pulled his Proto-tool off his shoulder and switched it to shield mode. He batted a fireball aimed at Ben out of the air and shot his partner an impatient look. "Ben?!"

"I'm going, I'm going," Ben said, fiddling with his omnitrix. "Come on, give me something good!"

Ben closed his eyes, letting the holographic dial on his watch spin around, and brought his hand down. A green light enveloped his body and a new form took his place.

Wildmutt roared a wordless howl before his brain caught up with his actions. Out of habit, he looked down at his hands like a sighted creature, disbelief written over his features. He let out a groan that perfectly matched Ben's tone when he got an animal he didn't want.

Zed barked and pawed at Wildmutt's forearm, happy to have another canine in the group. Wildmutt bellowed back before whining and pawing at his nose. Realization dawned on Rook.

"I think the omnitrix is telling us to run. Wildmutt's sense of smell must be overpowered here," Rook pointed out as he used his proto-shield to bat away another incoming projectile. Wildmutt made a noise of agreement and grabbed Rook and Kevin in his claws hands and pulled them onto his back before either could protest. Not wasting any time, he took off running with Zed bounding after him.

"Woah!" Kevin yelped, grupping to Rook's shoulders so he didn't fall off. Thunder clapped overhead and a light drizzle began coming down. Kevin sighed. "Great. Just what we need. Two wet dogs on an alien planet."

"And a wet Rook," Rook said, gesturing at his own furry face. He tried to keep his distaste invisible. A little rain wouldn't distract him. "Ben, do you remember where the city is? Perhaps we can find shelter there."

Wildmutt made a wordless noise that Rook hoped was one of confirmation.

"Wait, didn't you guys say there were monsters here? Meaning it would be the monsters who made the city?" Kevin asked as the rain picked up. Thunder clapped again. "Can someone catch me up to speed?"

"This is Frakenstrike, Blitzwolfer, Snare-Oh, Whampire, and Ghostfreak's homeplanet."

"I don't know who any of those are! Except Ghostfreak. But the rest, nada."

Wildmutt bellowed again and Zed let out a bark, catching Rook and Kevin's attention. Lightning came down from the sky, making a beeline for the village up ahead. Relief and fear spread through Rook's chest at the sight of it and he fell silent, Kevin's efforts to get more information falling on deaf ears.

Wildmutt crossed the rest of the distance between the pumpkin field and the city with a few long strides and skidded to a halt behind one of the buildings at the edge of the town. Kevin and Rook jostled on his back, nearly falling off at the abrupt halt, just before the omnitrix timed out and they fell to the ground in an awkward heap.

Ben shook his head in a dog like manner and pounded the side of his head, trying to get water out of his ears, as Kevin and Rook collected themselves. Zed shuffled over, panting from the run, and flopped onto Kevin and Rook's laps in exhaustion.

Rook made a face as Ben flung water out of his hair onto his fur but bit back any complaints. "Did you sense anything nearby as Wildmutt?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah. There are a ton of villagers gathered in the middle of the town. I'm not really sure what they're doing."

"Something with the lightning I think," Kevin answered. He wiggled out from under Zed and began crawling to look out from behind the building. "I'm going to check it out."

"Bad idea," Ben said, putting a hand on his wrist. "These guys are scary."

"Yeah, yeah. Monsters, I know," Kevin said, rolling his eyes. "I can handle it."

"Let me go in as Frakenstrike," Ben argued. "At least I can blend in. Stay here. I'll be back in a sec."

Kevin grumbled and sat back, letting the younger boy crawl past him and out from their hiding place. Rook watched with worry and pulled Zed more onto his lap as he wished Ben luck and prayed he wouldn't get caught by the monsters awaiting him.


	12. Bloody

**Author's Note:** Warning- blood and bodies in this chapter. Nothing too bad but just heads up.

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**Prompt:** Bloody

The wolf was out again on his master's orders. This time, he was among his people. It would've been a comfort but his people didn't like him much. Was he even really one of them? He always felt like an outsider among them. But this time he was stamped with his master's mark.

Lord Transyl, his mind supplied. He wasn't his master. He was his own man, his own Loboan. Not the lackey of some long dead-

His mind buzzed, the corrupting device on his forehead banishing those thoughts from his head. His anger was quelled and his mind refocused on the task he was assigned: oversee the gathering. The Tranylians were gathering lightning from the sky, the Thep Kufans were dragging mummified bulges into the middle of the town, the Loboans were returning from their hunt… Everything was in order.

The wolf smelled the blood on the Loboans claws and his instincts cried out in sadness. His master could suppress his free will but the primal instinct embedded deep into his kind? Lord Transyl couldn't take that from him. And right now that instinct was telling him to join the pack. He was a leader, he should be standing in front of them as their Alpha.

But they already had an Alpha. And a Beta. Yenaldooshi was Zs'Skayr's old friend and Crüjo was held in high regard by the planet's people. An outsider such as himself wouldn't even make it to Omega, let alone Alpha.

It made him lonely to think about. But he didn't have to think. Not with his master in control.

The Thep Kufans began dragging the bags into the middle of the square. Civilians gathered, trying to peer around the Transylians to get a good view. A few Ectonurites phased through the lightning bending aliens. The wolf barked at them, telling them to get out of the way. The Ectonurites looked up at him on his perch above the square, debate in their eyes, before deciding it was in their best interest to obey. They backed up but the wolf felt no satisfaction.

"Crüjo!" Yenaldooshi barked. "Start tearing them open!"

Crüjo didn't say anything but the broad shouldered Loboan lumbered forward and scored his claws across the wrappings, sending red liquid spilling onto the stone floor. And then he slashed another. And another. Soon, crimson splatters were covering nearly the entire clearing.

"Thep Kufans, drag them across the city!" Yenaldooshi ordered. "The bosses want blood smeared on every street! Let the outsiders know what we will do if they set foot on our land!"

A warning, the wolf knew, but not one the intruders would understand. Blood, that was really only a signal to hunters and those with keen enough senses of smell to read the situation. The wolf hadn't seen the bodies of the intruders that the Thep Kufans had wrapped up but he was fairly certain they were humanoid. Bloody signals might only scare them. They wouldn't understand like a Loboan would.

Did anyone here really understand what these warnings meant?

Ectonurites and Tranylians were cheering. Maybe they understood? It could just be mob mentality. Anur System natives got so excited when warding off outsiders…

One Transylian stood out. It took the wolf a moment to notice something was off and only another moment longer to pinpoint him but the moment he did, he knew something wasn't right. The Transylian was well built, too well built for a noncombatant which was strange since Transylians were generally a peaceful people, and he looked sick to the stomach at the sight of the leaking sacks being dragged across the city.

A spy, perhaps. Or a traitor. Or a visitor from somewhere far off that didn't agree with his master's plans. Either way, he couldn't be here.

The wolf threw his head back and howled to Luna Lobo above. Dozens of heads turned, twice as many eyes falling on the Transylian. Angry cries erupted from the crowd and the wolf turned away. The intruder was going to be ripped apart.


End file.
